Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Arsht-Rock Resilience Center’s Global Ambassador for Heat, Health, and Gender, joins the Atlantic Council at COP28

Climate and energy leaders will convene in Dubai to mobilize action toward a net-zero, resilient future

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 21, 2023 – The Atlantic Council announced today an impressive array of programming at the 2023 United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, aimed at addressing the full range of climate-related issues, including security, economic prosperity, and sustainability.

Anchored by the Global Energy Center and the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock), the Council will deploy its renowned convening power and deep bench of expertise to elevate bold ideas to meet decarbonization and adaptation goals and tackle the climate crisis.

With contributions from nine different programs and centers, the Council’s agenda will span the Global South, conflict zones in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the most pressing foreign policy challenges posed by climate change.

“Man-made climate change has brought us to an inflection point, and COP28 is an opportunity for the global community to meet the moment,” said Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council. “As an organization devoted to shaping the global future together with partners and allies, it is our responsibility to prioritize climate mitigation and resilience work and engage fully in the important dialogue at COP28 this fall.”

The threat of climate change demands that global leaders join together to shape a sustainable, resilient, carbon-free future. Through collaboration and dialogue with government, industry, civil society, and public stakeholders, the Council will elevate key issues and outcomes at the climate conference through:

  1. Coming together: The Clinton Global Initiative and the Atlantic Council’s Arsht-Rock Resilience Center are collaborating on a series of events with Secretary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton that will call attention to the growing impacts of extreme heat on women and girls in vulnerable communities. In addition, the Atlantic Council will host high-level hybrid public and private discussions supporting climate mitigation and adaptation to address extreme heat; climate, adaptation, and resilience finance; Africa’s critical role in the global energy transition; space data’s contributions to climate research; and more. Convenings will be hosted in the Blue Zone, in the Green Zone, and on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai.
  2. A flagship event: The eighth Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum at COP28 will convene the world’s top energy and foreign policy decision-makers to set the global energy agenda for the year ahead. The forum will feature themes key to addressing climate and energy security goals to be covered as priority issues at COP28. Confirmed speakers include Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All; Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy; David M. Turk, United States Deputy Secretary of Energy; and more.
  3. COP28 hybrid platforms: Arsht-Rock is a managing partner of the Resilience Hub in the Blue Zone—a hybrid central hub for climate resilience and adaptation showcasing innovative finance and policy solutions protecting people, livelihoods, and local economies from the impacts of climate-driven extreme heat. The Council will also partner in the energy transition hub, located in the Green Zone, to inform the public and key stakeholders of tangible pathways to achieve a net-zero future.
  4. Publications and analysis: Council programs and centers will contribute to a live blog and newsletter dispatches offering timely commentary and analysis on developments at the climate conference from Atlantic Council-affiliated regional, energy, and climate experts. The Council will also launch reports on the cooperation between Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council for the clean energy transition; the potential impact of green banking ecosystems in Africa; and mobilizing private sector finance for adaptation, as well as thought leader essays on the energy outlook for 2024.

“We cannot achieve net zero and climate adaptation without forging global consensus on practical, ambitious solutions,” said Jenna Ben-Yehuda, executive vice president of the Atlantic Council. “Our work at COP will model the cross-collaboration necessary to chart a safe path forward for our climate and the world’s most vulnerable–a path to combat the geopolitical, economic, and social challenges of climate change in partnership with friends and allies.”

For questions, please contact press@atlanticcouncil.org.

For more information, please visit: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/cop/cop28/

ABOUT THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL

The Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the Atlantic Community’s central role in meeting global challenges. The Council provides an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing its uniquely influential network of global leaders. The Atlantic Council—through the papers it publishes, the ideas it generates, the future leaders it develops, and the communities it builds—shapes policy choices and strategies to create a more free, secure, and prosperous world.

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